SOUTH BEND, Ind. — After securing three five-star recruits in the 2023 class, Notre Dame has added one for its 2024 group. Kateryna “Kate” Koval has signed with the Irish.
Koval, a 6-5 post who ranks as the No. 5 overall recruit in the 2024 class per the ESPN HoopGurlz Rankings, is originally from Ukraine but plays her high school basketball at Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.). She was the 2022-23 Gatorade New York Girls Basketball Player of the Year after posting 15.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game. Koval had a 60.7 percent success rate from the floor.
“I am thrilled to welcome Kate Koval to our Notre Dame family!” Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey said. “Kate is a force from the center position and is one of the most efficient centers in her class.
“She’s skilled, versatile and extremely competitive. Kate has the ability to dominate on the block but also step out and shoot from the perimeter. Her excellent passing and very high IQ and motor will complement our style of play and identity perfectly. The impact she will make on our program will be immediate and massive.”
While in elementary school, Koval had two loves: ballet and basketball. She stuck with the latter, and it clearly paid off. Koval moved to the United States two years ago to play for Long Island Lutheran head coach Christina Raiti and has become one of the nation’s most versatile and dedicated posts. She’s much more than a back-to-the-basket post.
Notre Dame currently has four forwards on the team, and two of them are transfers: Becky Obinma (Pepperdine transfer), Nat Marshall, Kylee Watson (Oregon transfer) and Maddy Westbeld. Marshall, Watson and Westbeld each have an extra year of eligibility, should they choose to use it.